Mother Nature
by RyansDreamMaker
Summary: After days of being stuck with no one to talk to Charlie has finally had it. Her temper tantrum catches Monroe's attention and he tries to help her out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N So this is my first attempt at writing anything. Ever. So I apologize in advance if it's awful. Also, I was never very good in English so apologies for my for any misspellings and poor grammer. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading! :-)

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"Will you shut up!" Conner looked taken aback at her outburst, but she was having a hard time caring at the moment. He had been talking non stop for the past five miles and if he didn't stop soon she might 'accidentally'shoot him.

"Well excuuuse me" he dragged the word out to try and show that he was offended, but all that did was irritate her even more. "I didn't realize mother nature had come for her visit already."

BAM. She didn't even think about it, the moment the words left his mouth her fist connected with his face. He stood there holding his jaw, eyes wide and buldging. It would have been funny if she wasn't so angry. "You have not stopped talking since we left town and I'm sick of listening to you! I don't care how many guys you took down yesterday, or about the number of guys you used to be in charge of in Mexico, and I sure as hell don't care about your idiotic attempt to rebuild the Monroe Republic!"

She turned around to stomp off only to find Miles and her mother, hand in hand of course, with Monroe hovering around behind them. Rachel looked concerned, which just annoyed her, Miles looked amused and Monroe was looking his usual stoic self, which again, just annoyed her.

"What?" She was trying to look like she hadn't just completely freaked out, but she knew it wasn't working.

"Sweetheart are you alright?" Rachel sent Conner a quick glare before turning back to her daughter, her sickly sweet smile on her face.

"I'm fine" she caught Miles eye and said "I just need a break."

Miles nodded "alright let's take five and then we need to get moving" he took Rachel's hand and headed off into the woods on the left side of the old blacktop road they were following. Charlie glanced at Conner and Monroe before taking off to the right, glad for even a few minutes of peace.

She waded through the overgrown brush and took some deep breaths to let the forest air clear her head. She found a small stream and used the cool water to wash her face and neck, the cool water calming her down. She sat back on the grass and closed her eyes. She hadn't meant to snap at Conner, but she was sick of being stuck with him all the time. Lately, Miles won't be parted from his beloved Rachel, and if she didn't know any better she'd say Monroe was avoiding her.

Unfortunately, her peace didn't last long though, she heard loud footsteps coming her way and was instantly annoyed thinking that it was Conner following her again. "Didn't I just say I needed a - ", but whatever she was going to say was lost in her throat because it wasn't Conner looking at her while leaning care-free against the tree. No, Monroe's clear blue eyes were looking at her with a mixture of amusement and something else she couldn't quite identity.

"I just wanted to make sure your alright, you seemed pretty upset back there" he hooked his thumb in the direction of the road and looked at her. Anyone who didn't know him would say he looked bored, but she knew better, underneath all his tough-guy bullshit there was a good guy in there somewhere. You just had to dig down really far and poke in all the right places to find him.

"I'm great" she gave him a big smile, which even felt fake, "you can head back up I'll be there in a minute." She turned back to the stream hoping he would walk away but when he didn't she couldnt help the small smile that found its way onto her lips.

He seemed to be hesitating, which was funny because she'd seen this man shred ten guys in under a minute with nothing but a sword without so much as blinking, and yet here he was, with no one else around to hear, struggling with simple words. "What ever happened to you and Conner being all buddy-buddy?" The way he said it implied he meant more than just getting along like regular travel companions.

She looked at him, "seriously, that was months ago, your still going on about that?" She couldn't help but smirk, for some reason Sebastian Monroe had a problem with his son getting laid. She tried to squash out all her thoughts of other reasons why he may have a problem with it, like who he was with, because it just wasn't possible. _Right? Right. Now shut up._

He looked at her carefully for a moment, his gaze making her slightly uncomfortable but she met his eyes with her own, never backing down. "Oh, I thought you two had a regular thing going, is that what you guys were arguing about?" He still looked a little bored but she couldn't help but notice the glimmer in his eyes. She couldn't tell if it was from making fun of her or maybe something else. _No, definately not._

She shook her head to try and dispel the unwelcome thoughts running rampant through her mind and looked at him. He tilted his head as if asking her to explain, so she took a deep breath "that was just a one time thing, he had been following me around like a puppy since you guys brought him here. I figured let him get it out of his system and then he'd leave me alone." She shrugged trying to make him understand that it really hadn't meant anything to her. _Who cares if he understands? It's none of his business. He should stay out of it. Yeah... oh, who am I kidding._

His silence was unsettling, she was starting to worry that he didn't believe it when he suddenly broke out into a smug grin. "So your telling me you banged my son, not because you like him, but because you figured that was the best way to make him back off?" She merely nodded in reply. He blinked at her for a second before he threw his head back and laughed, like a full blown, body shaking laugh. "Seriously! You could have just told him to take a hike Charlie, you didn't have to have sex with him to make him leave you alone. Hell, why didn't you say something I'm sure Miles would have been more than happy to help you out."

She was speechless. Monroe hadn't spoken to her for over a week and now here he was laughing because he thought she needed help taking care of some wanna-be-dictaor, like she was just Miles stupid niece. She could kill a guy with her bare hands, and had done it, she didn't need Miles help. "Well I'm sorry, I just figured you'd be a little upset if Miles ripped your kid limb from limb. I was trying to deal with it in a way that kept Conner _alive, _and unfortunately, my options were pretty limited." She stood up and stalked off back towards the road her arms crossed over her chest, she wasn't sure why she was so angry, she just knew she was.

"Whoa, whoa, Charlie that's not what I meant" she composed herself and turned around, raising her eyebrow to show him she was listening. "I..." he hesitated "I didn't mean that you you couldn't handle it yourself I just-" he seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "Look we both know you can handle your own but if you were backed into a corner you should have just said something, I would have helped you if I'd have known." The sincerity in his eyes ignited a fire in her heart and it took everything in her to stomp it back down. _Stop it. It's not like that. He's just protecting Miles niece._

"Hey, it's not like he forced me, it was my idea. Yes, I regret it but I regret sleeping with him because of what it caused not the actual sex part. Well, the sex part wasn't that great either, but that's not the point." She looked directly into his eyes trying to make him see what she wanted to say, he looked back at her, searching. He seemed to find whatever he was looking for because he gave her a small smile and said "it would be kind of fun to watch you kick his ass though, teach the kid a lesson."

"Well the day is young," she gestured elaborately around her as they started to walk "I might be able to make that happen before lunch." She smiled sweetly up at him.

"Now Charlotte, play nice, wouldn't want mommy and daddy to be disappointed ."

"Really?" She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, "I'm pretty sure Miles would be cheering me on and my mom would probably throw a party to congratulate me."

He threw his head back and laughed, again._ Did I make that happen? Again? He looks so different when he laughs, younger, healthier. Sexier. No, shut up. Not gonna happen._

She hadn't noticed that they had stopped walking and that he was looking at her, eyebrows raised. He had caught her staring but she couldn't make herself look away, instead she looked into his eyes. They seemed darker, completely focused on her, until they trailed down to her lips and quickly back up to her eyes. _No, I definitely did not imagine that. _

Her heart was in her throat beating like she had just run for her life. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out so she wet her lips to try again, but as her tonge traced the line of her lips she saw his eyes follow it and whatever she might have said was completely forgotten.

He swallowed thickly, she could hear it in the silence. They looked at each other for a moment longer, "we should head back," his face was carefully blank before he turned and headed back the way they came. Trying to hide her disappointment, she resumed her walk back towards the road. But she hadn't imagined it, they had just talked, really talked where he treated her like an adult, not just Miles niece, and if she wasn't completely insane, he had almost kissed her. _I am not crazy._

The stream was barely fifteen yards from the road so the walk back was quick and quiet. Lost in thought about what had just happened it took her a moment to notice that Miles and her mother were once again, hand in hand, with Conner now hovering just behind. And that they were all staring at them, though this time there was no amusement in Miles face.

"What's going on?" Miles tone was nonchalant but his eyes were boring into Monroe like he thought if he looked hard enough he could read his mind.

"There's a stream down that way, went to wash up." Monroe's words were simple and to anyone who wasn't Miles Matheson they may have been overlooked. However, Miles being Miles, he stared at his oldest friend for a few unnecessary seconds, eyes narrowed, before nodding. "Lets move. We got a lot of ground to cover." He spared his brother one last suspicious glance before taking off down the road.

As they restarted their hike to wherever the hell they were going Charlie found herself walking next to none other than Monroe. She didn't look at him, just kept him in her peripheral vision, and smiled when he simply held his head high and continued to walk. Chancing a glance in Conner's direction it was hard not to notice the frown he was aiming at his father's back. It was also incredibly hard to hold in the laugh that was threatening to escape her because of his obvious confusion. Monroe looked at her, eyebrow raised while she shook with silent laughter and when she couldn't control it anymore the laughs burst loudly out of her mouth.

Now eveyone was looking at her as though she had lost her mind and that sobered her up quickly. "What?" She looked around at them, "is it against the law to laugh now?"

"No, but five minutes ago you were gonna rip Conner's face off, so what changed?" He was looking suspiciously between her and Monroe.

Charlie opened her mouth to reply but Rachel beat her to it, "leave her alone Miles, so she changed her mind, she's a woman! We're allowed to do that." She set her icy gaze on her lover, daring him to contradict her, but Miles said nothing, just smiled and nodded before continuing on the road again

Charlie frowned at their backs thinking that Rachel had no right to answer for her and that Miles shouldn't let her control him like that, but who was she to say anything. _Oh, I'm nobody, just your daughter and your niece. But hey, don't listen to me! _But it wasn't worth the fight it would cause to say anything so she kept her mouth shut. Until she heard Conner muttering in the backround.

" 'Changing her mind' is just girl code for mood swings, or otherwise known as a period." _Ok, I'm gonna kill him._ She turned around and made to grab him when two strong arms wound themselves around her waist.

"He's not worth it," Monroe's words were just a whisper in her ear but she stilled instantly, hanging awkwardly in his arms. He set her down gently but kept his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place while she glared daggers at his son. "Maybe me and Charlie should scout ahead and find a good spot to stop for lunch," he aimed his suggestion and Miles with a significant look on his face.

"Yeah, good idea just don't get to far ahead. Wouldn't want you guys to get into trouble without me there to save your ass." He was using his usual sarcasm but Charlie could tell he knew something was up and that she just needed a break.

"Right, because we haven't saved your ass a thousand times in the last month," but Monroe's words held no real bite. The brothers both knew that for better or worse, most likely worst though, they would always have each others backs no matter what.

Charlie was still fuming about Conner's 'moods swings' remark so she didn't join in on the banter like she normally would have. Instead she gave Miles a small smile and took off down the road at a faster pace, Monroe a half a step behind her.

They had gone barely half a mile, and the others were still well within range, but she knew they couldn't hear her. "You know, for the record, I am NOT on my period."

Somehow Monroe managed to keep his straight face, "I knew that already Charlotte."

She stared at him open mouthed.

"What? Unlike my son I actually pay attention to the women around me. I don't think they only have one use." He looked at her steadily and she understood. Monroe doesn't think that she's only good for sex, he trusts her to have his back and in her mind that was the best thing that had happened all week. She was about to tell him that it was about time she got some recognition for saving his ass when he spoke again. "But I'm sure your very good at everything you do Charlotte." His voice was a low whisper and his eyes were staring openly at her lips, it sent shivers down her spine and brought a blush to her cheeks.

But she held herself in check and looked into his dark blue orbs. "You have no idea what I'm capable of..." She let the words trail slowly off of her tongue and gave him a sexy little grin before taking off back up the road again.

Monroe stood there staring after her for a moment before muttering quietly so she couldn't hear, "no shit."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N So originally I wasn't going to add anything to this but the wonderful people who reviewed asked for more and I was so excited I sat down to write this right away, and all of this just flew out of my brain. So now what was supposed to be a one-shot has now turned into like five chapters in my head. So I hope you guys want more. Let me know what you think! :-)

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By the time they were almost ready to make camp for the night Charlie was in a much better mood. Having the entire day without Conner constantly by her side had done wonders for her sanity. Souting ahead with Monroe all day had started to bother her in an entirely different way though.

His silence was a welcome change at first. It gave her a chance to get her thoughts in order, and gave her tired ears a break. But after nearly ten miles of nothing but eye contact and tilts of the head for communication, she was starting to get bored.

So to occupy herself she started watching him. _Well that was a dumb idea, Charlie. _It wasn't like she had never watched him before. Their first trip from Vegas to Willoughby, she had done nothing else. But that had been different, she had been trying to figure out what his game was and didn't trust that he wouldn't kill her in her sleep.

But since their little chat by the stream this morning, it was hard not to look at him without feeling differently about their uneasy friendship. And denying her physical attraction to him would be pointless. The way he moved with cocky confidence and grace at the same time. The way his eyes scanned everything around them, from the old, rusted out cars on the road that, could hide a possible threat, to the day old squirrel tracks leading into the woods. But the worst thing was the way he never seemed to be far away. Even when they stopped for bathroom breaks he gave her the bare minimum space required for privacy.

And it was driving her nuts, his constant proximity had her itching to slap him. Or throw him down and tear his clothes off. Either way. _Or both. _She laughed to herself, forgetting he was there for a moment, and he looked at her, a questioning look in his eyes. She just shook her head and averted her gaze, hoping that it would be enough to make him drop it. The last thing she needed was him figuring out that she wanted to tear his clothes off.

He seemed to buy it though because he just went back to his scanning of the area and threat assessments. She let him get a few steps ahead of her and breathed a silent sigh of relief. _Come on Charlie, get it together. Just because you __**think **__he almost kissed you doesn't mean he has any kind of feelings for you. It's probably just been a while since he got laid. _

This whole thing was going to slowly drive her insane if she wasn't careful. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, soaking up the sun, trying to clear her head.

"Are you alright?" Monroe had stopped right in front of her and she would have run straight into him if he hadn't said anything. The searching look in his eyes gave her butterflies in her stomach.

"Yeah I'm fine." But she knew he wasn't buying it. "I'm just bored that's all." That must have been a satisfactory answer because he nodded and started walking again. But she knew that he suspected something, so she tried to cover it up.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get to Idaho?" Not that she really cared, they just needed a change of subject, and Charlie could really use a break from her thoughts.

"At this pace? I'd say eight, maybe nine weeks. It really depends on how the weather holds up though. We're just heading into spring, if it rains too much it could slow us down."

"I hope the rain holds off. I don't relish the idea of being cooped up in a house with the star-crossed lovers and Monroe the sequel." The image of Miles, Rachel, Charlie, Conner, and himself stuck in a small house all day made him chuckle.

"No, I don't want to spend all day watching them fawn all over each other either." The way he said it made her feel like he had other ideas on how to spend a rainy day, and she wanted to know what he had in mind.

"I guess we could always play cards," not that she really wanted to do that, "Aaron says I'm great at spades." _Yeah right, you suck at spades. And Aaron knows it._

Monroe laughed, "I hate card games. I only ever played because Miles wanted too." He went quiet and she was worried that that meant he was done talking.

She hesitated for a second before breaking the silence, maybe baiting Monroe isn't such a good idea. _Since when does that stop you? _ "So what do you want to do then?" It was a simple, innocent question (sort of) and yet he seemed lost for words. He stood there studying her for what felt like forever before stepping towards her.

She looked into his eyes and for the first time ever she saw a raw hunger there that caught her off guard and sent warmth all throughout her body. But just as soon as she saw it, it disappeared behind a mask of indifference. "I'll probably just catch up on some sleep. It's a long journey, we all need to stay rested." He shrugged his shoulders and turned around to continue on down the road.

Suddenly, anger flooded her veins. This hot and cold thing was getting old, and the stubborn Matheson in her was not about to let him get away with it. "Is that all you really want to do?" She stalked towards him and put her face right in his. "Or did you have something else in mind?" Her voice was low and seductive, her eyes boring into his.

He took half a step back and she had to hide her disappointment. "What else could we do Charlotte?" She had obviously pushed some sort of button because this morning **he **had come to **her**, and now he was pushing her away. _Guess I'll have to be the brave one then._

She stepped closer again so their noses where almost touching, their lips only an inch apart so she could whisper against his lips. " I can think of plenty of things we could do together."

The emotions were running quickly across his face. Hope, fear, hunger, lust. But the last one that crossed his face was sadness, before he managed to shut it all down. He was avoiding her eyes but made no attempt to move.

"What are you doing Charlotte?" His words fell across her lips like a breath.

"I'm showing you what I can do," the whisper caused his eyes to widen a tiny bit and she figured that was probably the best she was going to get. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his gently. They were dry and cracked, but firm and warm. She felt his lips move to start to kiss her back, when he pulled away.

"Charlie... I'm sorry." He looked torn. Then his face suddenly became perfectly blank. He could be the happiest man on the planet, and no one would be able to tell.

"Oh," that certainly wasn't what she was expecting. Men don't usually apologize after you kiss them. "What do you mean, sorry for what?"

She still couldn't read his expression, but as she watched him, he seemed to make a decision and took another step back. "Your important Charlie. Your important to Miles, to Rachel, your grandpa. Your important to me." She felt something like hope in her chest and moved to be closer to him, but he stepped back again.

Now she was confused. "You just said-" but he cut her off.

"Yes, your so important to me that I let myself get comfortable with you, and I made you think that there was something more here," he gestured between them. "But," he took a long, deep breath, "there isn't. And that's why I'm sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you." His face didn't seem to be working right. This wasn't the guy who saved her from rapists in a cruddy bar, or the guy who came back for her in that school. This wasn't the man she had come to consider a friend. This was General Monroe talking. And she wanted her friend back.

He turned to walk away from her again, this time his movements were no longer graceful and filled with purpose. They looked hard and forced. Charlie could feel the hurt and embarrassment building up in her. She had just laid it all out there and he shut her down because she was too 'important to him.' _Then why is he pushing me away?_

Now she was more confused then ever. And her anger was ready to burst. "Oh, of course. That's my mistake General." Her voice was soft but the words were sharp. "I just thought after I told you the truth this morning, you would do the same for me. But I guess that would take real courage, wouldn't it?" She stalked off past him, trying to mask her hurt.

She made it about ten feet, and was passing a rusty, old pick-up when he grabbed her upper arm and slammed her into the door. His body flush up against hers and his face inches away. This time her heart was beating fast, but not in a good way.

His eyes were slits, their steely blue barley visible. His lips twisted in a snarl. "Courage? You wanna talk about courage? How about saving your ass from the patriots a thousand times? How about saving Miles and your grandpa and your fat, little friend?" He was yelling, he was so angry.

"How about me staying away from someone I truly care about to keep her safe?" His voice had lowered, and instead of being angry he looked like a man who had been beaten down again, and again. When the reality of his words sunk in she finally found her voice.

"I don't need anyone to protect me." The words came out a little hoarse because he was still holding her firmly against the truck. His hands pinning her arms to the cool metal.

He seemed to consider these words before nodding. "I know that Charlotte, but I can't take any chances." His eyes seemed to soften slightly and he released his hold on her, though she was still crushed between him and the truck. "People around me get hurt. You can't be one of them." He stepped away because he must have thought the conversation was over, but with the General seemingly back in his cage, Charlie regained her confidence.

"Your forgetting one very important thing." She waited for him to acknowledge her words. "I'm a Matheson, and it turns out we can't seem to get rid of you, and you can't seem to stay away." He nodded his head reluctantly in agreement. "So the way I see it, your stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

He just looked at her, a sad expression on his face. So she threw away any ideas of caution.

"Do you want me?" The question completely threw him off. His face was a mixture of shock and confusion. His mouth opened to speak, but she cut him off.

"It's a simple question Bass. Do you. Want. Me?" Moving so her face was once again close to his she waited.

He sucked in a breath through his teeth and gritted out, "yes Charlie, God yes." He grabbed the back of her head and slammed his lips down on hers, his other hand grabbing her hip. He backed her against the old truck and tangled his fist in her hair. It hurt a little bit, but Charlie was all for it. She fisted her hands in his shirt to pull him closer and bit his bottom lip, earning herself a low growl.

"Charlie." It was a breathless little sound, before he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She stood on her tip toes to reach better and opened her mouth wider to let him in, her own tongue meeting his and battling for dominance. She moved her hands up his chest, around his neck, and into his curly hair, pulling him even closer. His hands were stroking up and down her sides lightly grazing over her breasts before moving away again.

She moaned, asking for more when- **thump, thump, thump**\- the two broke apart, quickly untangling themselves, and going for their weapons. They looked around and saw no one. **Thump, thump, thump. **It was behind them. Swinging around Charlie let out a loud laugh and Monroe simply stared at the little rabbit in the old truck bed like it had just tried to kill him.

"Wow. I officially hate rabbits." His tone was serious but he was smiling.

Charlie grinned at him. "Oh come on, he's a little cutie!" She poked her finger at the tiny animal.

He looked at her as though she had just lost her mind. "What? I like animals." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her, but before thier lips touched he jerked back and looked down the road.

Charlie turned too, and was glad he had. Miles, Rachel, and Conner had just rounded the corner about a mile back.

"Come on, it's getting late. We should find a place to camp." He jerked his head off in the direction they should be going. There was an old pre-blackout road sign that said 'Augusta 2 miles.'

"Let's hope there's something still there." Monroe turned down the road and once they were out of sight of the others he pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips. She leaned forward as if asking for more but her put a finger to her lips. "Later. That's a promise. Just be patient."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a very patient person."

He smirked at her, "it'll be worth the wait." He leaned close, his breath in her ear, throwing her words back at her. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

With that, he took off towards the town, leaving her behind.

_I can't wait to find out._

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A/N Just have to say that I took the line about 'having real courage' from and episode of Person of Interest. Hope you guys liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I just want to thank those of you who have taken the time to review this, I never thought something so simple could get me so excited! I hope you guys will continue to read and review!

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It turned out that Augusta was in fact a thriving city. As they made their way to the town walls they passed several farms with acres of crops in the middle of harvest. It was almost sundown, and they would be closing the gates soon, so Charlie and Bass entered the city.

There were people everywhere on the main street. There were vendors packing up for the night, shopkeepers locking up, small families with children headed home, and at the end of the street, Charlie was sure she saw a few women who looked suspiciously like hookers.

The two had not realized that they had been standing still for so long until Miles, Rachel, and Conner joined them. No one in the city hurrying around spared them a glance so Miles felt pretty safe talking out in the open.

"We should split up. Bass, take Conner and find a place to stay. I'll take Rachel and Charlie and we can meet back here in the morning after breakfast."

"No!" Charlie looked absolutely horrified at the suggestion. "I'm not staying anywhere near wherever the two of you are going to be."

Rachel looked hurt at her daughter's words and Miles frowned, but he seemed to understand what she was getting at. "Ok kid, go with Bass and Conner." He looked between the three of them, lingering an extra second on Bass. "Please don't do anything stupid though, ok?"

Charlie smiled and tried to look innocent. "Who me?"

Miles rolled his eyes but took Rachel's hand and headed off down the road in search of a place to stay. Bass looked at Charlie and Conner.

"Which way do you think we should go?" He gestured in the two other directions they could go.

"Well I don't know about you two, but I'm going that way." He pointed down the road to the prostitutes standing on the old sidewalk.

Bass grinned at his son. "Just be back here in the morning, I don't want to have to come drag you out of a whore house."

"Well that might not be necessary," Conner put his arm around Charlie's waist and pulled her close. "What do you say Charlie, want to find a room?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, but seeing the possessive look on Bass' face she quickly grabbed his arm from around her and pushed him away.

"I think you'll probably have better luck down the street." She pointed that way and he shook his head.

"Your loss!" He headed off in the direction of the whores and Charlie looked at Bass.

"Want to find a room?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him just like Conner had at her. He threw his head back and laughed.

"Absolutely." He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street, looking for a place they could stay the night. They didn't have to look hard, around the first corner there was an old, blue townhouse with a sign posted in the front yard.

'Blueberry Inn, We DO NOT rent by the hour.' Bass dragged her up the front steps and through the open front door. There was an elderly man sitting at a desk in the front room. He was kind and gave them a fair price for the room.

The entire time the two men spoke, Bass kept his arm possessively around her waist stroking the small stretch of visable skin there with his thumb. Just that small amount of contact had her burning all over and a familiar ache building between her hips. When the elderly man handed Bass a key, she practically dragged him up the steps.

On the top landing Bass pushed her against the door that led to their room, causing her to drop her bag. He brought his lips close to her ear and bit the tender flesh lightly, pulling it between his teeth. She shuddered and grabbed his jacket to pull him flush against her.

"Someone's in a hurry." His voice was teasing in her ear so she pushed him back away from her and grabbed the keys out of his hand. Turning around, she made a little show of putting the key in the lock to give him plenty of time to admire her ass. She unlocked the door and bent to pick up her bag slowly. He sucked in a breath and grabbed her hips roughly, pulling her back so her ass was against the front of his pants. She could feel his cock, hard between them.

Grinding her hips back against him, she stood up, his arms moving up to encircle her waist, and his hands moving under the hem of her tank top to feel the soft skin there. His breathing was heavy in her ear. "Now whose in a hurry?" She teased him back.

He growled and pushed her into the small room, slamming the door behind them, and pushing her against it. He kissed her hard, his lips moving roughly against hers. His hands gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh. She tangled her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. Their tongues passionately stroking each other.

Charlie could feel the want in her belly and the wetness between her thighs. She couldn't wait anymore, she wanted him now. Pushing his jacket off of his shoulders she backed him up towards the double bed. The back of his knees hit the bed and he fell back onto it. She stayed standing, looking down at him. His lips were red and swollen, his eyes were hazy. She threw off her jacket and pulled her tank top over her head before climbing on top of him and straddling his hips.

"Charlie," now his voice was breathless. "Are you sure about this?" She sat back on his lap and looked at him. He was unsure of himself, and it was adorable. She placed a hand on his cheek and threw his earlier answer back at him.

"Absolutely." That was apparently all he needed because he quickly grabbed her waist and flipped them over. She landed flat on her back with him directly on top of her. She could feel his erection digging into her thigh. He reclaimed her mouth and moved his hands to cup her breasts through the worn fabric of her bra. She moaned and he tweaked her nipples through the fabric.

He reached beneath her and undid the clasps, throwing the offending garment to the side and moving back to admire her perfect mounds. He cupped them gently before moving down to take one hardend pebble in his mouth, sucking hard and then biting down lightly. Charlie couldn't hold back the loud moan that escaped her mouth and arched her back towards him, begging for more.

He gave her what she wanted. Kissing and licking every inch of her neck, chest, and breasts while his hands stroked her sides and cupped her ass. Until finally, she couldn't take anymore. She reached for his belt and undid it quickly, slipping her hand beneath the waistband of his jeans and grabbing his rock hard cock firmly in her hand.

"Oh my God, Charlie." He groaned into her shoulder, where he had been determinedly marking her with his teeth. She stroked him from base to tip and he thrust into her hand before he pulled back. "Enough playing." He stared down at her like a hunter looks at his prey and then grabbed her jeans and yanked them down off of her hips, without even bothering with the buttons.

He threw the pants to the side and she sat up, pulling at the bottom of his shirt. He let it join the rest of their clothes on the floor and Charlie ran her hands over his chest. He was all hard muscles and tanned skin, riddled with scars. She rubbed her hands down his chest, letting her nails drag slowly on his skin, her nail caught on his nipple and he gasped.

He pushed her back on the bed and divested himself of his pants, finally, fully freeing his cock. But she didn't get the chance to really admire it because then he was on top of her, kissing her again in full force. His left arm was supporting his weight next to her, while his right hand disappeared between them. She felt his warm fingers glide over her wiry curls and into her wet folds, grazing her clit and moving lower to her entrance.

He groaned. "Oh, you are so wet." He pushed a single finger into her pussy and she moaned, bucking her hips against his hand. He stroked in and out of her a few times before pulling out completely. Charlie groaned at the loss of contact wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. He kissed her softly on the lips.

She could feel his hand moving between them again and felt the head of his cock slide down over her wet folds. She opened her legs wider, giving him more room to settle between them. He stopped and looked into her eyes, and she could see the question in them. She nodded and he kissed her harder this time before snapping his hips and thrusting his cock deep inside of her.

Charlie moaned his name at the sudden stretch inside of her and he started moving quickly. His hips snapping into her, filling her completely with each thrust. She lifted her hips to meet him every time. His mouth was assaulting her neck and breasts while his hands held onto her hips, no doubt bruising the skin there. She wrapped her arms around him pulling his closer, digging her nails into his skin.

They moaned and groaned with each other, each one pushing towards their release, each others names falling from their swollen lips. He was close, and he could feel Charlie starting to tighten around him. He reached down and started flicking her clit with his thumb. She came hard, her head thrown back on the mattress, crying his name.

He fucked her through it, pounding into her pussy, his own climax not far off, his thrusts quick and uncontrolled. Charlie reached down and grabbed his ass pulling him, if possible, deeper inside of her and holding him there. He groaned and his balls tightened up, he tried to pull away from her but her hands on his ass held him in place. He came grunting her name into her hair and shooting his hot come deep inside of her.

He collapsed on top of her and they laid there a while breathing deeply. Charlie wasn't sure how much time had passed when he turned his head to look at her. His eyes were soft and he had a lazy smile on his face.

"So was it worth the wait?" His voice was soft and he sounded tired.

She kissed him gently on the lips and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Bass sat back looking a little wounded. "You guess so?"

She smiled and pushed him back onto the bed settling herself next to him, her head on his chest. "Yes, it was worth it. You happy? Now go to sleep we have to get up early." She yawned and snuggled into him.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled the blanket over them. He laid there for a while listening to Charlie's breathing slow and even out, showing that she was asleep. He kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, Charlie. I'm happy."

With that he fell into a deep sleep, with Charlie smiling into his chest.

_I am too._

* * *

A/N I'm not really confident in how this ended up. What do you guys think? Was I too descriptive or not enough maybe? Let me know because I would really like to improve :-)


	4. Chapter 4

Bass woke up slowly. Early morning sunlight filtering through the thin, white curtains. Charlie's golden curls splayed over his chest, her breath warm on his neck. The light shone perfectly on her beautiful face, her features soft, still deep in sleep. It was like a dream, a peaceful morning with a beautiful woman in his arms. Only one thing could make this moment better.

He ran his hand down her side and over her hip, gently cupping her ass. She sighed and snuggled into him. "Good morning." He kissed her temple and moved his hand back up her side to cup her breast.

Charlie chuckled sleepily. "Good morning." Her voice was thick with sleep but she leaned further on his chest to kiss him gently on the lips. He moved his hand to her lower back and kissed her slowly, his tongue running gently along her lush lips, asking for entry. Charlie opened her mouth and he moved his hand back up to knead her breast lightly.

"You know, I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing that."

They pulled apart quickly, Charlie pulling the sheet up higher over her body and Bass reaching for his gun. But he didn't get far. Miles stood up from a chair in the corner of the room and was at his side of the bed, snatching it out of his hand before they even registered that it was Miles in their room.

They both sat up in the bed looking shocked, Bass bare chested and Charlie carefully covered with the sheet. Miles stood at the end of the bed with Bass' gun held loosely in his left hand, his own gun held more firmly in his right. His eyes were focused on his best friend.

"I knew yesterday, when you came out of the woods with her," he gestured in Charlie's direction, "that something was going on." He looked like he was barely hanging on to his careful control. "I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. I've been defending you left and right." Miles' voice had reached dangerous levels. "And what did you do? You went and slept with my niece!" His anger had finally reached its peak and he pointed his gun at Bass.

Until this point Bass and Charlie hadn't moved. They had been shocked out of their lazy morning by finding someone in their room, and not just anyone, but the last person that they wanted to be found in bed together by. But Miles actually pointing the gun at Bass seemed to bring Charlie to her senses.

"Miles, I know that-"

"Shut up Charlie, just shut up." He turned angry eyes her way. "I thought you were smarter than this." The disappointment in his voice broke her heart, Miles meant so much more to her than she could explain to anyone, except for maybe Bass.

"Get up and get dressed, we're leaving." Miles still hadn't lowered his gun. "I'll meet you out front." He showed no signs of moving and it hit her._ He's going to kill him_. Miles was actually going to kill Bass.

"No." She mover closer to Bass' side.

"Charlie, you should go." Bass wasn't looking at her, he was staring at Miles and his voice was no longer low and soft, it was sharp and harsh, and she knew what that meant. The General was back.

"No!" She looked between the two men.

"Charlie, go." Miles wasn't looking at her either, his gun still pointing at Bass.

She got up from the bed, wrapped the sheet firmly around her body, and crossed the room to stand next to her uncle.

"Charlie, I said-" but she didn't wait for him to finish. She grabbed the gun out of his right hand and knocked the other one to the floor. Miles jumped back looking shocked.

"And I said no." She removed the magazine from the gun and set it on the chair, turning back to look at the boys, one hand holding her sheet in place, the other on her hip. "Who the hell do you think you are!" She poked Miles in the chest angrily. "You break into our room! You try to kick me out! So you can what? Kill Bass?"

"Charlie, don't-" Bass tried to cut her off, his voice carefully measured.

"Shut up!" She held up a hand to silence him and he shut his mouth instantly.

"You are such an asshole." She lowered her voice and looked Miles directly in the eye. "When you and my mom got together, I didn't complain. Actually, I supported you, because I want you to be happy. And I've been putting up with your sickening, love birds, bullshit ever since! But I'm ok with that, because it makes you guys happy. I guess that doesn't go both ways though." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, waiting for a response.

Miles stuttered and sputtered trying to form a response, but he couldn't seem to put the words together.

"Get out." Charlie pointed at the door, her eyes never leaving his.

"But..."

"I said, get out." She reached for the handle and opened the door, pointing into the hallway. Miles feet didn't seem to comprehend what was happening because he moved slowly towards the door. He stopped just outside the door and turned around, his mouth open to say something, but Charlie cut across him. "I'll meet you out front." She shut the door in his face with a loud bang.

Turning back to the bed she saw Bass sitting there, staring at her open mouthed. "Charlie what are you-"

"Enough." She held up her hand again and gave him a sad look. "I'm not some whore that you can use and just throw away like a wet rag. I can't believe you. I thought you said I was important to you?"

"You are, but-"

"Forget it." She bent down to pick up her clothes and started pulling them on.

"Charlie wait." He jumped out of the bed and grabbed her shoulders.

"Don't touch me." She pushed his hands away angrily and reached for her boots, but her beat her to it, snatching them off of the floor. "Give them to me." She held out her hands but her just shook his head. She grabbed for them but he held them out of her reach. She was leaning close trying to get to them, so he took the opportunity and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Get off me." She tried to push him away but he dropped her boots and put the other arm around her, holding her firmly in place. "Let me go." She was wriggling in his arms trying to break free, but he just held her tighter.

"Not until you hear me out." His voice was firm.

"I'll scream." She met his eyes and he could see the anger and hurt there. He loosened his hold on her and she ripped herself out of his grasp.

"Please Charlotte, just listen for two seconds." Something in his voice made her stop, or it might have been him using her full name again. That never failed to get her attention.

Her hand was on the doorknob. _Just turn it and walk away. _

"Charlie..." She stopped, but refused to turn around. She wasn't sure she'd be able to walk away if she did.

When she spoke her voice was soft. "I'm so sick of being lied to." And then she was gone. He vaguely registered the sound of her boots on the stairs and the opening and closing of a door down on the main floor.

He sat down on the end of the bed. The same bed that he had just shared with Charlie. His Charlotte, so strong, and stubborn, and fierce. But just the tone of her voice in those parting words made him realize how stupid he had been. He had been avoiding her for weeks, trying to push away all of these feelings. Feelings that he shouldn't have for his best friend's niece, or even if she wasn't, she was half his age. It was wrong.

But she had cornered him on the road, forced him to face her and admit that he felt something more than just friendship. He had been so stupid to think that it was only one sided. There was no way a woman like Charlie could care for a bastard like him. Right? He figured she was just horny, and was trying to mess with him. A cruel trick, but he did kill half of her family, so it wasn't like he didn't deserve it.

That's what he thought last night had been. A trick, a glimpse into what could have been a beautiful life, and then she'd rip it away the moment they left the inn. But sitting there on the bed he knew how wrong he had been. She did care, for whatever reason, Charlie cared. But he blew it, he let his fear take control and he pushed her away. Now she was gone, and the last thing she'll remember of him was that he lied to her and made her just another in a long list of whores.

That thought finally brought him back down to Earth. He had never thought of her as a whore, not ever. How could she think that he would think that, after everything they had said yesterday. No, she needed to know the truth. And just like that, it hit him. The truth was, he was in love with her, and he couldn't let her leave without knowing that.

Bass dressed at top speed and flew down the stairs, yelling to the old man that the keys were in the room before slamming the door behind him. It was still early, so there weren't many people on the street. He whipped his head left and right looking for her golden blonde mane or even just a hint of bright blue eyes. But as he stood there, in the middle of the road he realized, she was already gone.

There was no way he was going to lose her. He couldn't do this again, his family, Shelly, Emma. He didn't think his heart could take it. Running at top speed he almost knocked over a man coming around the corner.

"Whoa, easy, what's going on?" It was Conner, standing there with a goofy grin on his face that clearly said 'I got laid last night.' His face went from happy to mildly concerned when he saw his father's crazed expression.

"Where's Charlie?" It was a question that demanded an immediate answer.

"I thought she was with you." Conner was quickly becoming more concerned, his father looked like he was between tearing his hair out and snapping someone's neck. "What happened? Why are you running?"

"You didn't see her come down the road just a minute ago?"

"No, I haven't seen her. What's going on?" But Bass wasn't listening, he felt like the world was collapsing in around him and it was difficult to breath.

"She's gone." His voice was just a whisper, but Conner caught it.

"Dad," he grabbed his father's shoulders and waited until he looked him in the eye. "What are you talking about? What happened? Did someone take Charlie?" Bass forced himself to stop and take a deep breath.

"No, no... no one took her." Bass took a deep, calming breath. "She left, with Miles just a little bit ago." He looked sadly at his son, the only person he had left, his family.

"They left without us? I thought we were supposed to meet-" Bass raised a hand to silence him.

"We got into a fight this morning." At Conner's questioning look he continued. "Charlie stayed with me at the inn last night." He couldn't bring himself to meet his son's gaze. He didn't want to tell him that he had just spent the night with the woman he'd been chasing ever since he arrived from Mexico.

"Well that was the plan, Miles took Rachel, we took Charlie. Well, you did, I had other business to attend to." He winked at his father and smiled. He knew something was off and he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," Bass gave his son a forced smile, "Charlie and I had some... business too."

Conner stared at him, his brain hadn't put two and two together yet. It dawned on him slowly, his face going from confused to surprised. "What? You? And... Charlie?" He stepped back from his father, eyes wide with disbelief, then he stopped and looked straight into his fathers eyes, a smug little smile creeping onto his face.

"What?" Bass suddenly felt like a fourteen year old boy again.

"Oh nothing, just that now everything makes waaayyy more sense." Dragging the word out, his smug smile only grew wider. Bass just glared at his son. But that didn't deter Conner's amusement. "I thought you might have had a thing for her when you found us in that field, and then when you told me to find a girl to settle down with, just not Charlie, I knew it." He was standing there with a giant smile on his face looking particularly proud of himself.

Bass simply blinked at him. "Wait. Your telling me you've known the entire time?"

Conner just smiled at him. "Yup."

Anger tore threw Bass like a bullet. "You've been all over her this entire time! If you knew, why didn't you back off?"

But his anger didn't seem to phase his son, he did however, look slightly guilty. "I wanted to see how you would react. I thought you might get jealous and finally make a move." He gave his father a small smile. "Guess it worked, huh?"

Bass closed his eyes. He was trying really hard to understand what was going on. Conner knew he had feelings for Charlie. He had known about it since Vegas, and he'd been chasing after her with the intention of making him jealous so he would admit how he felt about her. His son was either Cupid or an evil genius. Or both.

Conner put a hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the main gate. "Come on Dad, lets go find your girlfriend."

"Shut up."

* * *

A/N I am not a Conner fan, but I think deep down he just wants to be loved, just like Bass. So I decided to be nice to him. Charlie might not be when she finds out though ;-) I love seeing your comments so let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie slammed the door behind her and swallowed thickly, trying to push away the traitorous tears that threatened to fall down her face. She descended the stairs quickly while she tried to compose herself. _Miles is outside, just keep it together. Your fine._

That's been her motto for the last three years. She's fine. She doesn't need people to baby her or protect her, she can take care of herself. Because she can't depend on other people anyway. People always leave her alone, dead in her arms, picked over for someone else, or left abandoned on the side of the road.

She pushed all of those thoughts away as she reached the bottom of the stairs, compartmentalized them deep inside and pulled on her carefully constructed mask. Miles was waiting at the bottom of the steps looking up at her expectantly. But she shook her head and waved him off down the road.

"Come on, we're wasting daylight."

Miles stopped her with a hand on her shoulder but after seeing the indifference firmly on her face, he let it drop. "Yeah, but we need to go this way. There's another gate on the other side of town and your mom's waiting over there."

They set off in the opposite direction of the main gate. Charlie maintained her silence the entire way there but as they rounded the last corner she saw the gate up ahead with her mother lounging around nearby. She finally turned to her uncle.

"You didn't tell her did you?"

Miles didn't look at her, he frowned and sighed heavily. "No... I wanted to though. Then I realized that she might kill me too for letting you go with him, so I decided against it."

She didn't say anything. What was there to say? _He's probably right._

Rachel was smiling her usual icy smile as they approached. She looked around with a frown on her face. "Where are Bass and Conner?" Not that she really cared, she just didn't want to seem inconsiderate.

"They aren't coming." Charlie spoke quickly so Miles wouldn't have the chance. "I guess rebuilding their little country is more important than whatever the hell we're going to Idaho for." Miles didn't try to disagree with her, he just nodded to back up her story.

Rachel's face went from a frown to the only genuine smile Charlie thought she had ever seen on the woman. "Well that's too bad," though her voice made it clear she didn't think that, "I guess we'll just have to get along without them."

Charlie resisted rolling her eyes at her mother and started towards the gate. "Come on, the days are getting shorter, we need to move."

The three of them set off again, Charlie in the lead with Miles and Rachel walking hand in hand behind her. After a few hours Miles and Rachel had fallen pretty far behind, so Charlie stopped to rest and wait for them to catch up.

She sat down on the back of an old car and leaned back against the window. Closing her eyes against the sun, she was overwhelmed by images from the night before. Bass' lips on hers, his hands on her body, his eyes boring into her. She ground her teeth together trying to push away the tears. He had said so much, and she had let herself dare to hope. For the first time in what felt like forever, she hadn't felt alone. She had Bass, and he had her. But she should have know it was too good to be true. _Everyone leaves, one way or another. You should know that by now. _

But then another voice wound its way into her head. _But he didn't leave you. He wanted to talk to you, but you wouldn't listen, you walked away. You left him. That's on you._

She wiped the tears angrily from her cheeks. _It wouldn't have mattered either way, he was here for Miles. That's all he cared about, and now Miles is mad at him so he's gone. Gone. _Or at least that's what she kept trying to tell herself.

She took a deep breath and hopped off of the car just as Miles and Rachel came into view. Turning to continue her walk down the road, something at the edge of the forest caught her eye. Taking a closer look she saw two rabbits. They were bouncing around and playing with each other. 'I hate rabbits.' Bass' words replayed in her head and she smiled down at the little creatures. "Well I think you guys are cute."

"What did you say honey?" Rachel was looking at her questioningly, but Charlie ignored her. Rachel sent Miles a worried look but he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and she let it drop.

They stopped for a quick lunch beneath the trees. Charlie ate in silence a ways from the other two while they talked and laughed together. They were so close, and smiling. Charlie had to push away the small surge of jealousy at seeing two people so obviously in love, while she sat on the sidelines brooding over her dried apples.

_You did this to yourself. _There's that voice again, she couldn't seem to make it go away. _Maybe, instead of running away like a little girl, you should have talked to him. You know, like an adult. _She rolled her eyes at herself and got up, she needed to keep moving, it would help keep her mind off of him.

Miles may have been wrapped up in Rachel all day, but he had been keeping a close eye on Charlie. He knew she was holding back, he had done it enough himself to be able to recognize it. But he had thought it would pass quickly, a few hours worth of walking and her anger would pass, and everything would go back to normal.

But now, as he watched her walking, he knew something was wrong. Her steps were heavier, her head hung low, and her shoulders slumped. Somewhere he missed something, or maybe he had been to stubborn to see what was right in front of him. When he saw them coming out of the woods together he had known something was going on. But if he was being honest with himself, which he rarely was, he had been noticing things for quite some time.

Little things, like head shakes, and shoulder bumps, standing closer together than was strictly necessary. Yes, he had known for a while now that the two of them were close, he had simply refused to accept just how close they had become though. Miles shook his head at himself. He had known Bass for over forty years, he knew everything about the man. Which meant that he had made a huge mistake. Bass cared for Charlie, the thought gave him an unpleasant little shiver, but it was true.

And Charlie, well, she was Charlie. Brave, stubborn, and loyal to a fault. But she could also be naive and she trusted too easily. She was like Ben that way, always believed the best in people. Maybe that's why she liked Bass, as disturbing as that sounded, at one time he had been a good guy, a great guy even. He had been honorable and maybe that's why she cared about Bass just as much as he seemed to care about her.

All of this thinking was giving him a headache, he needed whisky and some time to think and sleep. It wasn't quite dark out yet but it would be soon, so as they passed an old, rundown shack he decided they could all use an early night.

"Let's stay here tonight. It will be dark soon and I don't want to have to sleep outside if we don't have to."

The woman felt no need to argue. Rachel was tired and Charlie was emotionally exhausted, she needed to be left alone to think. They all ate quickly, Rachel heading off into the bedroom to sleep, leaving Charlie with Miles in the small living room.

"Get some sleep Miles, I'll take first watch." She smiled at him reassuringly.

He got up slowly and walked over to her. "You alright kid?" She could see the concern in his face, but had no desire to discuss anything with him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Her face was blank, all of the emotions carefully tucked away.

He sighed heavily and nodded his head. He walked a little towards the bedroom before turning back. "I'm sorry... about... this morning. I know that all of this," he gestured between himself and the room where Rachel was sleeping, "has been hard on you. I want you to be happy too Charlie, I just didn't think it would be with him."

His words washed over her slowly, their meaning finally sinking in. "But I thought you said-"

"I know what I said. But I was wrong." He took a deep breath. "If you think that that's really what you want... then ok. I'm right here with you."

Charlie couldn't stop the tears that filled her eyes, she looked away from her uncle to try and hide them. "It doesn't matter now anyway. He's gone, it's done."

At that Miles smiled a big goofy grin and rolled his eyes. "Nah, if I know Bass, which I do by the way, he's probably on his way here right now."

Charlie scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

Miles let his smile drop and gave her a slightly guilty look. "He cares about you." Charlie looked skeptical so he continued. "He does, I just don't think he's realized how much yet. I guess we both screwed that up."

Charlie felt hope burn in her chest at the certainty in Miles voice. He smiled at the look on her face. "You know what, you should get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

Charlie was going to protest but then she realized how exhausted she felt. "Ok." She got up and went into the bedroom to lay down next to her mother, she stopped with her hand on the doorknob and turned back to her uncle.

"Thank you, Miles."

She looked tired as hell, but she was smiling slightly which was better than she had looked all day. "No problem kid."

She went into the room and closed the door. Rachel was already fast asleep and Charlie was out cold the moment her head touched the pillow. Thoughts of Bass following after her swirling in her mind, leading to pleasant dreams.

Miles looked at the place where his niece had just disappeared and smiled grimly to himself. It that dickhead was what made her smile like that then he would put up with it. She was Charlie and he loved her like she was his own. He wanted her to be happy, even if it meant he might actually have to dismember his best friend.

OpOpOpOpOp

It had taken Bass and Conner over an hour to figure out that there was more than one gate that led in and out of town. It was mostly Conner's fault, he had kept insisting that they ask the local 'ladies' if they had seen where Charlie or Miles had gone. Eventually, an old shopkeeper had informed them that it was possible that they had left out of the northern gate.

It hadn't taken long to pick up their trail after that. Bass was by no means an expert tracker, Conner was even worse than he was, but luckily for them Rachel wasn't exactly light on her feet. If it hadn't been for her heavy footsteps, he doubted that he would have been able to pick up the trail at all. Miles and Charlie were naturally light on their feet and as the two men followed the trail they were, for once, grateful for Rachel's presence in the group.

As they walked along Bass found himself stuck in an endless loop of memories. Charlie's smile when she woke up wrapped in his arms, the stubborn look on her face when she forced Miles out of the room, and the betrayal in her eyes when she slammed the door behind her. That last one was like a punch to the gut every time. He just wanted to find her and make her understand, he just wanted to see her, even if she turned him away. But he hoped she wouldn't.

"Would you relax, your thinking so hard I can practically hear it." His head snapped up at Conner's voice. His son was looking at him with a mixture of amusement and sympathy.

He eyed him suspiciously. "I get that you had your little plan to get us together or whatever, but when did you become the friendly, caring type."

Conner frowned at him for a moment and then shrugged. "My mom used to tell me that people are the only thing that matter." He paused for a moment. "I used to tell her she was nuts. Food, water, shelter, those things are important. But she'd just say that those things were useless unless you had someone to share it with." He was silent for a few minutes and Bass figured he was done talking until he stopped and faced him.

"I never understood it, you know? I was thirteen years old, what was I supposed to think? And then she sent me away and I spent years hating her for it." He choked up with those last words so he tried to compose himself. "Now she's gone, and I'll never get to fix that. But you... you have a chance to fix this thing with Charlie. I want you to take that chance."

Bass was stunned. The only time he and Conner had discussed his mother was when Bass had told him that he was the reason she was dead. Looking at the sincerity in his eyes Bass had to fight to hold himself together. He finally settled on grasping his shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze.

"Your a lot like her you know. I didn't realize it until just now, I've been so worried that you'll turn out just like me that I didn't even see how much of Emma is really in you." Conner's smile was priceless, and now they were both fighting to hold back tears.

Conner cleared his throat roughly. "Ok, enough. I hate this mushy crap, let's find them and get this over with."

Bass snorted. "Now you sound more like my son." He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and they walked side by side for a while, stupid smiles on their faces the entire way.

* * *

A/N Soooo, funny story (not really.) I had this entire chapter planned out in my head. Bass was supposed to find Charlie and they'd talk and make up, and blah, blah, blah, and then live happily ever after. Apparently, my fingers had different plans because I have no idea where any of this came from! I sat down to write and all of this just came right out. Anyway, unless my fingers decide to stage another coup, this story will have 2 maybe 3 more chapters.

On another note I can't stand Conner so I have no idea why my fingers feel the need to be nice to him, I guess somewhere deep down I feel bad for him. Really deep down. :-)

I love seeing your reviews, please leave me more!


	6. Chapter 6

Miles woke Charlie in the early hours of the morning, the moonlight was bright through the uncovered window. They moved silently, Charlie slipped from the bed and pulled on her boots while Miles fell down into the warm spot she had left for him. He rolled over and wrapped an arm around Rachel who merely snuggled in closer to his warmth.

Charlie left the two in peace, Miles loud snores filling the house before she even had the front door closed. She sat down on an old chair on the front porch, testing it first to make sure it would hold her weight. Looking around there was nothing in sight except bushes and trees, no noises besides those of a forest at night. The sound was soothing, it reminded her of her life before the militia had showed up on their doorstep.

Her mind wandered in memories of better times. Helping her dad in the garden, taking Danny with her while she hunted, even arguing with Aaron about the importance of trigonometry. That last one made her chuckle. _What would Aaron think if he knew how I felt about Bass?_

And here she was again, back to thinking about Bass. He didn't seem to want to leave her thoughts alone. _I wonder where he is? Is he alright? Is Miles right? Will he really follow me?_

Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind she heard footsteps and voices approaching. Whoever it was, they weren't even trying to be quiet. She loaded an arrow into her crossbow, crept silently towards the road, and took cover behind a tree.

"We should stop soon. I know your tired, I was just hoping that we would catch up with them tonight." She knew that voice. _Bass._

"Even if we did catch up with them now, Charlie's probably asleep. I doubt she'd be very happy if you woke her up just to say 'hey I'm sorry I'm a fuck up.' " Conner's voice was light and full of humor. _Wait, did he tell Conner about-_

But she never got to finish that thought, the two men were passing her hiding place and had just noticed the shack.

"Hey we can stay here toni-"

"Hey guys." She stepped forward, and both of them jumped back. They went for their guns and had them pointed at her face before either of them even bothered to look at her. Bass' eyes went wide at the sight of her standing there, crossbow in hand, looking at them like this was the normal way to greet people. He nearly dropped his gun in shock but quickly recovered.

"Charlie." His voice came out as more of a squeak. He had been thinking about this all day. What he would say, how he would say it. But as she stood there, shimmering beautifully in the moonlight, his throat didn't seem to want to work.

Sensing the awkwardness that was quickly filling the space around them, Conner broke the silence. "I know you guys have a lot to talk about so I'm just gonna head inside." He bounced on the balls of his feet for a moment before taking off towards the house.

Charlie was trying to wrap her head around the fact that Bass was really here. He had come for her, just like Miles said. All she really wanted to do was wrap herself around him and never let go, but before she had the chance he seemed to finally find his voice.

"Charlie, I am so sorry-"

"Bass, I-"

"Charlie, I know your mad-"

"But I'm not-"

"Please just listen to me, for one minute." He clearly wasn't going to let her speak until he had his say, so she nodded her head and waited patiently.

He looked relieved that she agreed to listen and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. They way I acted was horrible and unforgivable." She opened her mouth to tell him that wasn't the case but he held up his hand. "Please, just listen." He waited for her to give her assent to continue before moving on.

"All you've ever done is given me a chance. You took me back to Willoughby with you when you didn't have to, you could have left me on the side of the road with an arrow in my chest, and I would have deserved it. You convinced your mom to save my life, even after I took everyone that you cared about away from you. You talked to me, you gave me a chance. You gave me a choice, a choice to be different, to be better, to be a better man." He swallowed thickly and met her eyes, his own a shimmering blue. "You gave me your trust... and I broke that."

She wanted to stop him right there, she wanted to tell him how wrong he was. But deep down, she knew he needed to finish this.

He stepped forward and was within reaching distance, but he resisted the urge to take her in his arms.

"Your amazing Charlie. Every part of you and you deserve so much more than this fucked up world can offer you." He was practically shaking, unshed tears brimming in his eyes. "I just wanted you to know that I love you. That no matter where you go or what happens to you, I'll always love you... I can't help it." He gave a shaky laugh and stepped away from her. He turned towards the house like he was going to walk inside and leave her standing in the yard.

Her mind was spinning. _He loves me? Loves me? Then where is he going! _But it was like her body suddenly didn't want to cooperate. She was standing there, frozen, calling out to him in her head but her mouth wouldn't listen. He was walking hunched over, his feet shuffling on the ground.

"Bass?" Finally, her voice decided to work. He turned around slowly and looked at her with sad eyes. "Where are you going?" _Seriously! After everything he just said, that's all you have to say?_

"I told Miles that I would help him, I can't just walk away now." He looked at her and hesitated for a second. "Unless you want me to go." He was shaking his head at himself as if he thought he should have seen this coming. "That's fine, we'll go, just let me grab Conner." He started up the steps.

"Bass wait." She ran up to him completely out of breath, though not because of the running, and grabbed his arm. "Don't go."

"Charlie it's ok, I never expected anything-"

"Will you shut up and let me talk now?" She hadn't meant to sound so mean, she just wanted him to listen to her.

He snapped his mouth shut and nodded his head. She opened her mouth to speak but ended up closing it. Now that she had his attention, she didn't know where to start.

"I... My dad, Danny, and Maggie, they're all dead. Nora's gone, so is Jason." He could see all of the hurt running unchecked across her face. "Miles, and my mom, and Aaron, they're all I have left, but they all have someone else. Miles and my mom are together, and Aaron has Priscilla. That just leaves me, by myself." In that moment Charlotte Matheson looked as broken and lonely as he felt every single day.

"That's why I left Willoughby in the first place. They all had someone, they didn't need me. And then one day I woke up in some stupid swimming pool and all of a sudden I wasn't alone anymore. I know that I fought you from the very beginning but you've been there for me this whole time, and I treated you like crap for it. So I'm sorry." Charlie stepped forward and put her hands on his chest but didn't meet his eyes.

"You don't have to leave... please don't leave, I don't want to be alone anymore." Her voice was barely a whisper but he would have heard it a mile away. He gently took her chin in his hands and tilted her face up, and waited until her eyes found his.

"I'll be here. Always, I promise."

It was like a weight lifted off of her shoulders and that hope she had long since abandoned burned in her chest.

"Promise?" How could he ever say no to that? He couldn't. He hadn't stood a chance from the moment she left Wisconsin and set out for Philadelphia.

"Promise. Always." It felt so childish to be reassured by something as simple as two words, but standing there, looking into his eyes Charlie knew. He loved her, and he wouldn't let her down.

That happiness flooding through her prevented her from using actual words, so she stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips against his. Gently at first, just a touch, but as memories filled her head her body burned for more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her level, his arms found their way around her waist to pull her closer. His tongue ran across her lips, begging for more, but she pulled away.

He looked upset at the interruption at first, but his face quickly turned to concern. "What? What's wrong?"

He looked so adorable when he was worried she couldn't help but smile. She pulled him back down to her but only put her forehead against his. "As much as I would love to have it out right here in the front yard, maybe we should wait until your son isn't watching through the window." She turned her head towards the house and he followed her gaze, his eyes reached the window just in time to see the curtains sway and a dark head of hair disappear.

He laughed. "I guess subtlety isn't really his thing."

"No, defiantly not." Her eyes were glinting in the moonlight. "You should go on inside and get some sleep." She went to pull away from him but he yanked her right back so she was flush against him.

"I'm fine, I can go a day without sleep." He lowered his head and she allowed him to kiss her. He bit playfully at her lip and she had to fight the urge to tear his clothes off right there. So she pushed him away from her before things got out of hand.

"We can't. I'm on watch, and you need sleep."

" I'm fine, don't worry about-"

She put her hand flat over his mouth and put her lips close to his ear. "Go inside, and get some sleep." She pushed him back into the door and started to turn away. "Besides your no use to me exhausted. Especially not for the things I plan on doing." She grinned that sexy little grin at him as she hopped down the steps.

"And what might that be?" He couldn't help but call after her.

"Oh, your gonna like it, I promise." She walked back to the road, hips swaying, to check the perimeter (or just so he could stare at her ass) and he couldn't help but smile to himself as he opened the door. Yeah, he really never stood a chance.

As Charlie made it out of his range of vision she stopped and tried to wrap her brain around what had happened. He loved her, and she loved him. She hadn't said it to him but she would. All in good time. _First things first, I have a promise to keep._

* * *

A/N Yay! Everyone's happy! All except Rachel when she finds out, which will happen in the next chapter. Because who doesn't love a pissed off Rachel? And don't worry Charlie will keep her promise! Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and special thanks to those of you who use your precious time to review, you guys make me smile. :-)


	7. Chapter 7

As Bass slowly opened his eyes, the conversation he had with Charlie the night before was the first thing on his mind. 'Please don't leave.' He could hear her voice in his head and see her beautiful eyes begging him to stay. He never imagined that she felt anything for him. Sure they worked well together, and he even thought of them as friends (he had been cautious not to mention that to her though.) But now she cared, Charlie wanted him. His Charlotte.

His reveling was cut short though as the door, that presumably led to the bedroom, opened and the wrong shade of blue eyes found him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" But without even waiting for a response, Rachel turned angrily back into the room to yell at someone else. "Miles, what is he doing here? I thought you said we were finally done with him."

Bass could hear movement on the other side of the wall and Miles grumbling indistinctly. His best friend suddenly appeared in the doorway with his hair sticking up in odd places and the ghost of a smile on his lips. Now Bass' mouth was dry, he had been so worried about Charlie that the way Miles would react to his reappearance hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Hey brother." His voice was hoarse from sleep and he smiled weakly at his oldest friend while he hoped for the best. The last time he had seen Miles, the man had put a gun to his head after all.

Miles didn't respond right away. The way he was looking at him was almost calculating. Miles' eyes flicked ever so slightly to the door that led outside, that led to Charlie.

Realization his Bass like a freight train. Miles had known he was coming. He looked his brother straight in the eyes and gave him the smallest of nods.

Miles had that little smile in his face again, but it disappeared as he turned to Rachel.

"Guess he came back." She clearly thought that that was a horrible explanation because she glared at him.

"Obviously, Miles. I meant, why?" This whole thing had been Bass' fault, so to save Miles from some misery he got up off of the floor and did the one thing that he hates above all else. He spoke directly to Rachel.

"I'm here because this is important, and I promised I would help," he let his eyes drift to Miles for a moment, "I just needed a minute to get my shit together." Rachel was looking at him like he was gum on the bottom of her shoe, but he wasn't paying attention to her. Miles was standing far enough behind her that she didn't see him nod his head. Just one nod, but that was all Bass needed to know that Miles was on his side.

Rachel rolled her eyes and Bass couldn't help but notice it wasn't cute when she did it. "That's great, but we don't need your help. Go ahead," she gestured at the door, "go build your little kingdom. With any luck you'll get yourself killed this time." Anger bubbled in his chest, but before he could do anything about it the front door opened.

Charlie stepped into the house with a small bundle in her hands. She wasn't looking at anyone in particular, she was busy with whatever was in the bundle. "Morning guys, I brought breakfast..." She had finally looked up and saw Miles standing in the bedroom doorway, tension covering his features. Conner was still laying in his bedroll on the floor but his eyes were wide open. The last things she noticed were Bass and her mother glaring daggers at each other from across the room.

She had known that this would happen. They had told Rachel that Bass had taken off and she had been, of course, ecstatic at the news. So understandably, she was angry when he suddenly returned to their open arms. She also knew that when her mother found out about the other thing, meaning her and Bass, shit was really gonna hit the fan. _Probably better to just get it all out now. _

So before she could stop herself or change her mind she walked across the room, put her hand on Bass' chest, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "See? I told you that you needed to sleep, you look much better now." She smiled up at him and hoped to whatever god that existed, that he would play along.

He chuckled lightly and she could see the nervousness in his eyes. "Alright, alright, you were right. You happy now?"

She pretend to think really hard about it. "Yeah, I guess so. For now." She winked at him and turned to the fire place to make breakfast, sneeking a peek at her mother as she bent down.

Rachel's face was a mixture of horror, shock, and confusion. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water. Behind her, Miles looked like he was preparing for a nuclear explosion.

When Rachel finally found her voice, it was icy cold and deathly calm. She looked directly at her daughter. "Charlie, what the hell is going on?"

Charlie took a deep breath and tried to calm herself before the fight started. "What do you mean?" She didn't even bother trying to sound innocent, they all knew what Rachel was talking about.

The rage seem to come off of her mother in waves. "I know that you did not just..." Rachel took several deep breaths before continuing, "You can not possibly be this stupid."

Charlie stood up, walked over to her mother, and looked her right in the face. "I guess you and I have different idea's of what stupidity is." Rachel may have been angry, but that was nothing compared to the ten years worth of unresolved issues Charlie had been carrying around. All of which, concerned her mother. Every angry feeling she'd ever had, every tear that had fallen, and every single day she had wished for her mom to come back, led to this moment.

But Rachel was Rachel, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. "How could any child of mine be this incompetent? Your father-"

SMACK.

The sound of Charlie's open hand hitting Rachel's face echoed through the room. All of the men held their breath, waiting.

Slowly, Rachel brought her hand to her burning cheek and Charlie let out a ragged breath. "You don't get to talk about my dad. You don't get to judge the choices that I've made."

Outrage covered Rachel's face. "I'm your mother, I can-"

"No!" Charlie had to step back to keep herself from smacking her again. "Your just some woman who was married to my dad. You weren't my mother. Where were you when I needed you, huh?" Rachel looked taken aback at that question, like it had never even occured to her that Charlie might have needed a mother.

"Mothers are supposed to be there! Where were you when I was scared of the militia coming through town? Where were you when Danny was sick and I didn't know how to help him?" Tears threatened to fall but Charlie pushed them away angrily. "You were never there. Not even for the stupid stuff. My first crush, my first heartbreak. What about when I started having my period? I cried for you everyday when I thought you were dead." Her voice had reached dangerous levels so she stepped away, shaking her head.

"Maggie tried to talk to me and help me, but I wouldn't let her because she wasn't my mom. I thought that you had been taken from me, and I resented her for being there, only to find out later that you weren't taken. You left. You willingly left your family, your children, so that you could go play house with Miles in Philadelphia." Charlie looked disgusted. "You lost any right you had to judge me and my choices when you abandoned me on the side of the road."

Charlie turned her attention back to the fire, trying to pretend that she hadn't just unloaded ten years worth of baggage in one go, and added a few more pieces of wood and put a pot of water on to boil. She picked up the bundle she had been carrying when she came in and held it out to Bass, "Can you cut these up for me?"

He could see the stubborn determination in her eyes. She was finished with the discussion, and she wanted him to follow along. "Yeah, of course." He gave her a small, but encouraging smile and took the bundle. It was full of fresh apples. He sat down next to her, pulled out his knife, and set to work doing what he was told while Charlie added a small amount of sugar to the pot.

He could feel Rachel's eyes boring into him, but he ignored her. Rachel seemed to realize that both he and Charlie were done with the conversation so she turned to Miles to try and make him deal with the 'situation.'

But when she looked at his face, the man she had loved longer than any other, she knew that it wasn't going to work. Miles face was grim, but determined which only made her even angrier. "How can you be ok with this? How is he even still breathing?"

Miles sighed and looked away from her. "A long time ago, I told the woman I loved to go be happy with someone else... and I regretted it everday afterwards." He looked back at her with sympathy on his face. "I don't want that to happen to them. Either of them."

Everyone else in the room had been trying not to look at the two of them, but as Miles words reached Rachel's ears, they just couldn't help but sneak a peek. Rachel was shaking her head with unshed tears brimming in her eyes. It was all too much for her and she took off out the front door at a run.

Charlie had expected Miles to follow her, so she was surprised when he put a hand on her shoulder. "Just give her some time, this is a lot to take in."

"I know." She put her hand over top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Go ahead, we'll be fine." He nodded and quickly left the house in search of the only woman he had ever truly loved.

Once the door shut behind him, Charlie let out a long breath and tossed the sliced apples into the pot. "Well it could have gone worse." Bass let out a laugh and pulled her into a tight embrace, pulling her off of the floor and into his lap.

His face was in her neck and she could feel the smile on his lips against her skin. "Thank you." He didn't elaborate, but she knew what he was talking about. He must have been worried that the inevitable confrontation with her family would end whatever they were trying to build.

She dug her fingers into his hair and kissed the top of his head. "Always. Remember?"

He pulled her tighter against him and whispered into her neck. "Always."

"God you two are adorable." They were shocked out of their own little bubble by Conner, who seemed to deem the house safe with Rachel gone. He was still in his bedroll but he had propped himself up on his elbow and was watching them with amusement.

Charlie couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the guy that had been driving her nuts two days ago. "Since when are you so calm and collected?" Bass snorted into her shoulder and looked at his son. She looked between the two of them. She was obviously missing something. She pushed back from Bass and stood up, hands on her hips. "Alright, what's going on?"

Bass looked amused but Conner at least had the sense to look slightly guilty. "It turns out," Bass spoke up to save his son the trouble, "that Conner's known how I felt about you all along. And his annoying attempts to get your attention were actually just him trying to make me jealous."

Charlie blinked at him a few times trying to comprehend what he had just said. After a moment she stalked over to Conner's place on the floor and started whacking him on the head. "Are you freaking kidding me!" She continued to assult him while he tried to untangle himself from the blankets. "Weeks, and weeks," she stopped to take a breath, "I am so gonna kill you."

Conner had finally managed to get up off of the floor and was holding his hands up in surrender, he looked at his dad for help. "Uh, aren't you gonna do something?"

Interested in his response, Charlie turned to look at Bass. "Nope, you did this to yourself." Taking that as her cue, she raised her hand to strike him again.

"Wait, wait, wait," Conner's eyes were wide with fear, "I just wanted to help. I guess I could have found a better way, but it's the thought that counts right?" He was looking at her nervously.

Charlie let him suffer a moment longer before she burst into laughter. She staggered back over to the fire while she wiped the tears from her eyes. When she finally caught her breath she turned back to Conner, who was still huddled in the corner. "I'll let it slide this time," she smiled at him, "but if you ever say another word about my ass, I will kill you."

She looked at Bass as if asking him if he was alright with that and he nodded his head. Conner nodded his agreement as well, and then mumbled something about having to pee before he practically ran out the front door.

Charlie was chuckling when she looked over at Bass, but he stopped her with his lips on hers. It was a hard kiss, his lips pressed firmly against hers, he tangled his fingers in her hair and greedily pulled her closer. She let herself melt into him, placing her hands on his shoulders and moving to straddle his legs.

Their kiss turned heated quickly, his tongue finding its way into her mouth and hers rushing out to meet it. They swirled together, and Bass ran his hands down her back to grab her ass, squeezing each handful roughly. Charlie gasped and reached up, pushing her fingers into his curls to try and anchor herself in the moment. It felt so different to have a man desire her, but also care for her at the same time. She loved the feeling of simply being wanted.

Almost like he was reading her mind, he slowed the kiss down. Moving his hands up to lightly stroke her sides and kissing her gently. When he finally pulled away from her they were both out of breath. He moved her back to the floor beside him and cupped her cheek in his palm. "I love you, Charlie."

She couldn't help but steal one last, long kiss and whispered against his lips. "I love you too." They smiled at each other in that sickeningly cute way for a moment before he turned his attention back to the fire.

"So you wanna tell me what's with the apples in the water?" Charlie snorted.

"Isn't it obvious?" When he looked completely clueless she rolled her eyes. "I'm sick of eating dried apples."

Bass laughed out loud, his eyes were bright and she could see the cute, little wrinkles around his eyes. She ran her hand over the scruff on his cheek. "I like it when you laugh, I want you to do it more often." Her voice was soft and so full of love that it made his heart constrict in his chest.

He chuckled low in his throat and the sound sent shivers down her spine. "Don't you know by now? I'll do anything you want."

Charlie raised her eyebrows and grinned at him. "Anything?"

His blue eyes found her and she could see the truth there in them. "Anything."

* * *

A/N I hadn't planned on giving Rachel so much attention but she kinda wormed her way in there and I think it's good for Charlie to get some of that stuff out in the open anyway. If Rachel were my mom I'd have slapped her a long time ago :-) Please tell me what you think, I love seeing what you have to say.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N strangeJenny asked me about the apple thing in the last chapter and I figured someone else may have been wondering about it too. It probably seemed weird and random, but thats because it was lol. I needed something for Charlie to do while she ignored Rachel, I didn't want her to just sit there. Plus, I figure she probably does get tired of eating dried apples. :-)

* * *

It had been several hours since Charlie and Rachel's showdown and they hadn't seen either Miles or Rachel since they had both disappeared out the front door.

Conner had returned an hour or so after Charlie's attempt on his life. He had looked around the room cautiously, like he had expected to find them naked and rolling around on the floor. Bass had simply laughed at his son and told him that there was more to relationships than just having sex. And then gave Charlie a heated look that clearly said that he planned on doing a lot of that later though.

But now they were all sitting around the house getting anxious. They were ready to get moving again and Miles and her mom still weren't back yet. Charlie was starting to wonder if they weren't coming back at all. Maybe her mother couldn't handle her decision to be with Bass. Not that her being gone bothered her much, what bothered her was that if her mom stayed away, Miles would too. And that stung, once again he was picking Rachel over her.

She got up from her seat on the couch and was about to tell the boys they should just go on without them when the door opened. Miles stepped into the house with a grim expression on his face, he walked over to the couch and sat down with a sigh.

"She's pissed." He looked up at her and Bass. "And she's confused and angry, and you guys can't blame her for that. I mean, you did kinda throw it in her face."

Charlie didn't like what he was saying but deep down, she knew he was right. "I know. Where is she?"

Again, Miles sighed. "We walked for a while and found this town a few miles from here. She got a room at the inn there. She said she just wants some time to herself to think, I told her I would come back and get you guys to bring you there."

Charlie nodded, if Rachel was alright with him bringing them along than she was at least willing to tolerate Bass. Which is a step in the right direction.

"Ok, then let's go, I've been dying just sitting around all day." All of the boys laughed at her, but she ignored them as she took Bass' hand and they made their way towards town.

OpOpOpOpOp

It was a pretty small town. There was only one inn, and no whore houses in sight which Conner complained about loudly. There was only one other room available which really dissapointed Charlie. She had been looking forward to having Bass and a bed all to herself, and judging by the displeased look on his face he was thinking the same thing.

Miles went off to his and Rachel's room to check on her, which left the other three to share the third room. As they piled into the tiny space, they all realized the same thing. This was definitely not going to work.

Conner, who was just full of surprises all of a sudden, came up with their solution. "I saw a road about half a mile back from town with a few houses down it. I bet you they're abandoned." He raised his eyebrows at them like he was trying to make them understand something. When neither of them said anything for a moment, he elaborated. "It's probably nice and secluded."

Comprehension dawned on them at the same time and they turned to each other grinning. "Well Conner, you be good. I have business to take care of." Bass was talking to his son but he only had eyes for Charlie at that moment. He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out the door without even letting her wave goodbye.

It was still early in the afternoon, so Charlie bought some food for their dinner from the market on their way out of town. They found the road easily enough, and just as Conner had guessed, all of the houses were empty.

Bass picked one at random and they went inside. They checked to make sure no one else was home and took a look around. All of the furniture was gone, no beds or couches, not even a kitchen chair. This didn't bother Charlie much, she was used to sleeping on the ground, but Bass didn't think that what he had planned for their evening would go well on the floor. So they checked the next house. And the next one, and the one after that. They were all empty.

Finally, they came to a large, two story house with and old discolored fence in the front yard.

"Would it be weird if I carried you over the threshold?" He was joking of course, or at least partially.

She laughed and smiled up at him. "I'm pretty sure your supposed to wait until we're married for that."

His face turned suddenly serious for a moment and he tried to cover it up, but she put a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. "Someday, just not today."

He looked a little shocked at first but then smiled wide before kissing her softly on the lips. "Someday." He kissed her again and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. His hands wandered down the curve of her ass and he hooked his thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans.

"There better be a bed in here." He was growling against her neck, biting at her ear lobe.

She could feel the heat spreading through her belly. "If there isn't I guess you'll just have to fuck me on the counter." He growled again and yanked her towards the front door.

He bypassed the front rooms and ran up the steps, dragging her along behind him. There were three rooms at the top of the stairs, one was a disgusting bathroom, the second was a small room with nothing in it, and the third was a large room with an enormous bed sitting right in the middle. Finally.

"Why would they take everything else and leave this behind?" She walked over to the bed and sat on the side, looking over at Bass.

"It's a big bed, they probably didn't have anything they could transport it with so they left it behind." He walked over to where she was sitting and stood between her legs.

Charlie looked up into his dark blue eyes and ran her hands over his chest, making him inhale sharply. "Their loss. I guess we should thank them."

He pushed her back on the bed and climbed on top of her, smashing his lips onto hers and delving his tongue into her mouth. His tongue was greedily exploring her every corner and his hands were grabbing at any available flesh. They roamed from her breasts, down her sides, over her hips, and coming to a stop under her ass where he squeezed roughly. He pulled away from her mouth and started attacking her neck with his lips, kissing and biting at her soft skin.

Charlie was panting and she could feel the wetness between her legs. She moved her hands over the rippling muscles of his back and shoulders, holding him close to her. He moved downward and started kissing her nipples through the thin fabric of her shirt and she couldn't help but moan and arch herself further into his mouth.

He was smiling against her breast, "so impatient."

"Bass," Her core was aching and she wanted him inside her now.

"Not yet, I'm gonna take my time," he pulled her shirt and bra away to expose her breast and pulled her pert nipple into his mouth, "I wanna do this right."

He pushed her shirt up around her neck and she pulled it off to throw it on the floor. He undid the clasp of her bra with ease and ripped it the rest of the way off of her body. Cupping her breasts in his hands he squeezed them and kissed her deeply while she moaned into his mouth.

He kissed his way down her neck and started attacking her nipples with his tongue and she held tightly onto his hair to hold him in place. He ran his hands down over her ribs, across her belly, and popped the button on her jeans to slip his hand into her panties. His fingers glided over her wiry hairs and parted her drenched folds.

"So wet for me." He was practically purring. Charlie's intelligent response was only an 'mmm-hmm' but he took that as a 'Oh my God, fuck me already' and started rubbing small circles around her swollen clit. He teased her like this for a while, watching her rock her hips to try and make him hit the right spot.

"Bass, I'm gonna kill you." But her panting and moaning kind of ruined the effect. Though he knew he couldn't deny her much longer so he pulled his hand out of her pants, much to her dismay, and started removing her boots. Then he pulled off her pants and her soaked panties which he tossed aside to join the heap on the floor.

Charlie reached out for him and pulled him to her for a kiss, he was still completely clothed but she loved the friction his jacket was creating against her breasts. Nevertheless, she pulled at the bottom of his shirt and he yanked it off so she could run her hands over his bare, broad chest.

She didn't get long to enjoy it though, because he started making his way down her body with his lips. Down her neck, between her breasts, over her stomach, and down further. He parted her legs and settled himself between them, kissing and nipping at the inside of her thighs, making her lift her hips in anticipation.

Finally, even he couldn't wait any longer. He dove right in and ran his tongue flat over her clit and she tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his face closer to her wer center. He sucked on her clit while his fingers gently probed at her entrance, and when she growled in frustration because she wanted more, he slipped a single finger inside of her.

She was grinding herself down on his hand and pulling his face farther into her folds so he picked up the pace. He flicked his tongue quickly over her clit and started twisting and curling his finger inside of her. He could feel her orgasm building, she was so close. He added another finger and she practically screamed with pleasure. He fucked her fast with his fingers and let his teeth nip at her clit.

When she finally came, her tight pussy clenched around his fingers and she yanked painfully at his hair while she moaned his name. He stroked her through her orgasm and then moved to lay next to her, peppering kisses on her neck and shoulder.

Charlie's hazy eyes turned to him and the dopey grin on her face warmed his heart.

"You ok?" She hummed her contentment and pushed up to kiss him, tasting herself in his mouth. They kissed slowly this time, savoring the taste and feel of being in each other's arms. Charlie could already feel her want for him starting to burn again.

She let her fingers trial down the tight muscles of his stomach and undid his belt, pushing his pants and underwear down in order to free his hard cock. She wrapped her hand around his hardness and he groaned into her mouth. She gave him one firm stoke before moving her hand down to cup his heavy balls.

"Holy shit, Charlie." She kissed his neck and moved her hand back to his cock. He thrust into her hand and she bit down on the skin just above his collar bone before licking the sting away with her tongue.

Bass growled something incoherent and grabbed her, throwing her back onto the mattress. His cock was throbbing because he needed to be inside of her, so he flattened his body on top of hers and their bodies molded together. Charlie positioned her legs wider and he settled himself between them, the head of his cock at her entrance.

He couldn't wait any longer, he buried himself in her tight pussy with one swift movement and they moaned in satisfaction together. Slowly at first, he pulled almost all of the way out of her, just to bury himself in again. Charlie smoothed her hands over his shoulders and wrapped her leg around his thigh to keep him close.

With his own need building and Charlie begging for more, he fucked her harder and deeper. She moved her leg farther up on his hip to open herself more for him and the angle caused his cock to hit that perfect spot deep inside of her. Her moans were egging him on, he grabbed her leg that was around his waist under the knee and pushed it up so that it was next to her body. Charlie let out a scream and he jerked his hips faster, he could feel her pussy tightening around him.

His own release wasn't far off, he knew he wouldn't last much longer. He pulled most of the way out of her and then slammed back in while he sucked hard on her nipple. She called out his name while her pussy clenched around his cock and he continued to thrust into her. His name coming from her lips made his balls tighten up and he pulled out of her, his come spilling all over her stomach and thighs. He collapsed on top of her with his face in her neck, and his seed laying sticky between them.

When they both seemed to find some state of consciousness, Bass moved to lie next to her and Charlie rolled on her side to look at him. He was staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you ok?" He laughed out loud at her question but turned his head to look into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

She grinned up at him and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Just want to make sure I didn't wear you out. It's still early, we have plenty of time." She kissed him again and he felt his cock twitch.

"Jesus, already? Are you trying to kill me Charlotte?"

Smirking, she traced circles around his nipples. "No, not yet at least." She leaned in close and nibbled at his ear. "I have other plans for you first."

* * *

A/N So there will be one more chapter of this to close it out and possibly an epilogue, I haven't decided yet. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing my story :-)


	9. Chapter 9

Charlie woke up wrapped in a cocoon of Bass. His chest was plastered against her back, arms around her waist, and his legs were tangled around hers. Removing herself from his grip was going to be next to be impossible, but she moved as slowly as she could so she wouldn't wake him.

Several minutes and lots of patience later, she finally managed to escape his grasp. She turned to look at him as she climbed out of the bed and saw him reaching out for her in his sleep. Smiling to herself, she stuffed one of her blankets into his arms and watched as he wrapped himself around it like an octopus.

Now completely free, she stretched her sore muscles. It was the good kind of sore though, the kind that left you with a glowing smile on your face. She grabbed her discarded clothes off of the floor, cleaned herself up, and went downstairs to find some breakfast.

As she hopped off of the last step, she saw Conner sitting on the floor next to the remnants of the fire they had started the night before.

"I hope that smile means that last night went well." He was smiling smugly up at her.

She hummed appreciatively, "I don't think your dad would want me telling you all the dirty details."

Conner snorted but didn't press her further. "I didn't actually come here to ask about that, Miles sent me."

Charlie whipped her head around. "What? Why?"

"Well... I guess him and your mom kinda got into a fight last night." He winced slightly as he said it, like he was bracing for impact.

Charlie sighed heavily and took a seat across from him. "What happened now?"

He took a deep breath before launching into the story. "According to Miles, everything was going great for most of the night. He had even managed to convince Rachel that we should all leave first thing this morning. But, I guess late last night they got into an argument about something, because when I woke up this morning I was sharing my bed with someone. And I definitely did not take Miles to bed with me last night."

Charlie snorted at his little joke but continued on. "Do you know what they were fighting about?"

"No, he wouldn't say. But I did hear the lady that owns the house talking to some guy this morning, she told him that two of her guests really got into it last night. So whatever it was, it wasn't good. Miles sent me to tell you that since your mom is refusing to speak to him, we'll be stuck here at least one more night."

She nodded absently. "Wait, if she's not talking to him, then why couldn't he come tell me?"

Conner chuckled, "because he's camped out right outside her door. I think he figures she'll have to come out eventually to go to the bathroom." They laughed together for a moment before he stood up. "Well, message delivered. I've got some other things I need to attend to."

"Like what?"

"Saw this super hot redhead in town, gonna go find her." He gave her one last wink before disappearing out the front door.

As Conner's footsteps could be heard going down the front steps, Bass' could be heard coming down the stairs. He came into view wearing only his old boxers and pulling a t-shirt over his head.

Charlie stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Nice outfit."

He chuckled low in his throat as he nuzzled her neck. "Did I hear correctly? We get the day off?" He slid his hands down her back to cup her ass, pulling her flush against him so she could feel his hardness, waiting eagerly for her.

The feel of his hands on her sent a jolt straight to her core. "Yes, we do. Any ideas on how we should spend it?"

"Plenty." Bass slammed his lips on hers and she gasped. He pushed his tongue through her parted lips to taste her, moaning as she rolled her hips against his erection. He kissed her passionately and Charlie could feel her own need growing, soaking her panties. She threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling his face closer to her. Without warning, he lifted her up off of the ground, she wrapped her legs around his waist and let out a yelp of surprise which he swallowed with his lips.

"What are you doing?" He was walking them towards the kitchen, trailing kisses down her neck

"I've been thinking about this since you suggested it yesterday."

"What?"

He set her down on the counter and pulled his shirt off. "I'm gonna fuck you on the counter." Then his lips were on hers again, his hands moving to the hem of her shirt to pulling it over her head, adding it to the pile on the floor. Charlie unhooked her own bra and tossed it down with the rest of the clothes. Then she leaned back on her hands so she could watch him.

He quickly undid the button on her jeans, sliding them and her panties down her legs. Kneeling down in front of the counter, he ran his tongue through her wet slit. Charlie moaned as he parted her folds and began sucking on her clit, occasionally pulling at it with his teeth. She fisted a hand in his hair, trying to pull him closer while she ground her hips against his face.

"Oh God Bass, please." Bass stopped what he was doing with his mouth and kissed the inside of her thigh.

"Please, what?"

Charlie looked straight into his eyes, "fuck me, now."

His growl vibrated through his chest and he stood up, pushed his boxers down far enough to release his hard cock, and pulled her ass closer to the edge of the counter. She wrapped a leg around his waist and he thrust into her, filling her completely while they both moaned with pleasure.

He fucked her hard and fast, snapping his hips into her while he watched her breasts bounce up and down with the force of his thrusts. He wasn't going to last long like this though, and he wanted to feel her come around his cock again. He would never get tired of that feeling. He pulled the leg that she had wrapped around his waist up and set it on his shoulder, changing his angle to hit a better spot, earning him a cry for more as Charlie's head flew back.

She was rocking her hips against him as best as she could, but she needed more. She reached down between them to rub her cit in quick circles, arching her back to force him even deeper inside of her.

Bass watched her fingers as they took over her clit. Watching her touch herself while his cock disappeared into her tight pussy nearly made him come right then, but he held out.

"Fuck Charlie, come on. Come for me."

With one last 'Bass' falling from her lips, she came hard, her body spasming around him. He couldn't hold it in anymore, he thrust into her one last time, spilling his come deep within her. He leaned forward and rested his head between her breasts, his cock still buried in her pussy.

Charlie ran a hand over his head and down his back. "Guess it was a good idea, huh?"

Chuckling, he kissed her gently on the lips. "Definitely."

He kissed her again before helping her down off of the counter. They cleaned up and dressed, deciding to eat something before either one of them came up with any other good ideas.

OpOpOpOpOp

It was late in the afternoon, Charlie and Bass were upstairs in the bedroom. She was sitting with her back against the headboard reading a book while she stroked his hair, his head was laying in her lap while he slept. This was the first time Charlie had ever felt truly and completely comfortable with someone. The love she felt for this man seemed more real than anything else in her life ever had.

She had been so lost in her own thoughts, that she hadn't heard the front door downstairs, or the footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Hey, honey."

Charlie jumped slightly in her seat, startling Bass from his nap. He sat bolt upright and reached for his gun because he thought they were under attack. Charlie put a calming hand on his shoulder and he slowed, lowering the gun and looking over at Rachel standing awkwardly in the doorway.

No one said anything for a moment. "Well I'm glad your both dressed. Conner warned me that I might stumble into some of your 'activities.' "

Charlie knew that her mother hadn't come here just to say that, but she also knew that trying to rush her wouldn't help the situation. Luckily, Bass seemed to know the same thing, so they both remained silent.

Rachel was swaying back and fourth on her feet, looking anywhere but at the two of them. She finally gave in and asked, "Bass, can I speak to Charlie alone for a few minutes?"

Slightly shocked that she had addressed him directly, he slid out of the bed and grabbed his boots. He looked at Charlie to make sure she was alright and waited for her to nod her head before stepping around Rachel and closing the door softly behind him.

Charlie closed her book and scooted so she was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing her mother. "Where's Miles?" Rachel seemed a little confused by her question so she continued on, "Conner said that Miles has been camped outside your room all night and day, I just figured he would be here with you."

Rachel actually looked slightly guilty. "Yeah, well... I went out the window."

"You what? Why would you do that? What-"

"It's not what your thinking, honey. I love Miles, I really do. I just needed some space and I knew he was out there, so I went out the window. I hadn't planned on running into Conner, but when he told me where you were he told me 'good luck' and it seemed like he actually meant it." Her face was screwed up like she was trying to figure out why Conner had been so nice to her.

"I know the feeling, one minute he's driving me nuts, the next minute he's smiling and being nice. It's kind of weird."

Rachel gave her a little smile and nodded her head in agreement. She was still standing awkwardly by the door.

"Mom, I know you didn't come here to talk about Conner."

She shook her head, "no, I didn't." She closed her eyes as if she were collecting her thoughts and stepped forward to sit next to her on the bed. "I know that what I did was wrong. But I won't lie to you, I don't regret leaving. Yes, I regret missing out on yours and Danny's lives, but not leaving. I love Miles, I always have, and I was sick of not being able to be happy.

"I spent over fifteen years with your dad, and there wasn't a day that passed that I didn't wish he was Miles." Charlie could see a light sheen of tears in her mother's eyes. "It was too much, I had to leave. For your dad, for you and Danny, and for myself. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you Charlie, but please don't cut me out of your life."

Her mother looked genuinely upset and Charlie had to look away from the single tear that rolled down her cheek. "Then don't make me choose." She looked directly into her mother's eyes, "you said you wished you were with Miles everyday. If you try to push me and Bass apart, that's what will happen to me, and I want to be happy. He makes me happy."

Rachel stared down at her hands in her lap. "I want you to be happy sweetheart. I do. It's just hard to see you with him when I know what he's done." Charlie made to interrupt her mother so she could tell her that she knows all about what Bass has done, but Rachel held up a hand to stop her. "But if you think he'll make you happy, I'll stay out of it."

Tears sprang into Charlie's own eyes but she blinked them away. "Thank you, Mom."

Rachel nodded and then turned sharp eyes on her daughter. "But don't think even for a minute, that he and I will be friends. I will tolerate his existence in my daughter's life, but one wrong move, one little screw up, and I will kill him. I promise you that."

The seriousness in her mother's face made her nod in agreement. Rachel wasn't promising not to kill Bass, she was simply saying she wasn't going to kill him _yet. _And the way Charlie saw it, that was probably the best she was going to get out of her.

Rachel got up from the bed and headed to the door, she turned around with her hand on the handle. "I'll talk to Miles tonight, you guys should be ready to leave in the morning."

"Ok." And then she was gone.

As soon as she disappeared from sight, Bass came back into the room. He touched his fingers to her cheeks and down her arms like he was looking for something. "Well, no visible injuries, and I didn't hear any shouting. So what happened?" He sat down next to her on the bed and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her. Charlie melted into his comforting embrace.

"She agreed not to kill you, and I agreed to give her a chance."

Bass was silent while he rubbed little circles on her back for a few minutes.

"I guess that's the best we could have hoped for. Don't you think?"

Charlie chuckled, smiling up at him. "Yeah," she kissed him gently on the lips, "it is."

She snuggled back into his chest and he kissed the top of her head. "I love you. You know that right?"

She pulled away from him and rubbed her palm over the scruff on his cheek. "I know. I love you too. You know that."

He nodded and pulled her in for another kiss before burying his face in her hair. They sat there for a while, content to just be in each other's arms. Together.

**Three weeks later**

They were in an old hotel, in some unnamed town, in the middle of freaking nowhere. So far Rachel had held to her word and stayed out of their business and Charlie had kept hers as well. She made a point to speak to her mother at least once a day. The conversations don't always end well, but she figures its probably better than not talking at all.

Her and Bass lay tangled and sweaty on the old mattress in their room. The only sound is their deep breathing. Charlie moved to lay her head on his chest, where she could hear his still rapidly beating heart. He kissed her temple and stroked her hair gently.

"Charlie?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

"Don't get mad at me."

That made her pop up to rest on her elbows, looking down at him suspiciously. "Why would I be mad?"

He gave her a quick glance and sighed before looking back up at the ceiling. "Beacuse I'm gonna ask you something that I swore never to ask a woman."

Brows furrowed, Charlie glared down at him. "What?"

"When was the last time you had your period?"

Charlie stared at him in complete shock, her brain went into overdrive trying to remember her last cycle, and got frustrated when she couldn't. Bass seemed to read her thoughts because he nodded his head solemnly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. If my calculations are correct, which they usually are, you should have started six days ago. And your never late, at least not for as long as I've known you."

She blinked at him for a second and then punched him hard in the shoulder. "What do you mean 'calculations?' Do you keep track or something?"

He smiled softly up at her and ran his thumb over her cheek. "I told you, I like to know the women around me."

Charlie huffed a laugh, trying to let the information sink in. "I'm pregnant."

Now, Bass seemed nervous. "Yeah, you probably are. I'm so sorry-"

SMACK

"I know that you were not about to apologize."

He raised a hand to feel the warmth on his cheek, looking at her like she had gone completely insane.

"Is that what you plan on telling our child? 'I'm sorry you were born?' "

"What? No, of course not. I just thought that-"

Charlie's eyes flashed dangerously. "You thought what? That I don't want a baby?" Her eyes softened and she leaned over to touch the cheek she had just slapped. "Or were you worried that I wouldn't want _your _baby?"

The sad look in his eyes was the only conformation she needed to know that she was right. She held his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. "I love you Bass. You know that, and I will love our baby because it's a part of me and a part of you."

Bass couldn't hide the tears that had formed in his eyes, she wiped them away as they fell down his cheeks. He moved to lay a hand flat on her stomach and whispered, "our baby."

* * *

A/N Yay! I can't decide whether or not I want to do an epilogue, what do you guys think? And thank you so much for reading my story. When I posted this it was only supposed to be that first chapter, so I really appreciate those of you who showed so much interest and pushed for more. Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

"Give it back!"

"I just wanna look!"

"It's mine!"

"Just for a second!"

Even from all the way downstairs, Bass can hear the girls muffled, high pitched voices.

"I said give it to me!"

SMASH

The sound of breaking glass causes him to finally put his book down. He waits a beat, but hears nothing. He sighes as he takes off his reading glasses (don't tell Charlie he actually had them on) and walks slowly up the stairs to his daughters' room.

It's still completely silent up here, and he can't decide if it's because they're finally finished arguing or because they know that they're in trouble. Most likely both.

He opens the door to find them both standing in the middle of the room, heads down and hands clasped tightly in front of them. Taking in the scene around them, he notices the book clutched in Ella's hands, as well as the blue and purple vase shattered on the floor.

He waits. If fatherhood has taught him anything, it's that patience is everything. They all stand there for a few minutes before his youngest daughter finally gives in.

"I just wanted to see the book. It was an accident Daddy, I promise." Natalie's big blue eyes stare up at him with unshed tears brimming in them.

In his peripheral vision, on the side he's got left, he can see Ella roll her eyes. She may have her grandfather's dark hair, but her attitude is all Charlie.

Nattie's turning on the charm, and they all know it. They also all know, that Daddy can't resist those blue eyes and the girls use that to their advantage. All the time.

He sighs again, because he knows there's no way he's going to win here. He looks down at the broken glass on the floor and then at his daughters bare feet. He momentarily forgets that they're in trouble, and gestures for them to get off of the floor and hop up onto their beds.

Sidestepping the pile of glass he looks at his oldest. Her hair is curly, but dark and her eyes are crystal blue, just like his own. Charlie is constantly telling an irritated Ella that she looks just like her father. They have the same nose, mouth, and chin as well. But in his mind, she looks just like his mother, and Ella seems to like that comparison better. Apparently, eleven year old girls don't like being told they look like an old man.

Nattie on the other hand, is a carbon copy Charlie if he's ever seen one. Dark blond hair, big blue eyes, and even the little dimple in her cheek. She looks just like her mother, but her personality is the complete opposite. She's quiet and reserved, and even Rachel has admitted, on more than one occasion, that the seven year old reminds her of what Danny had been like as a child.

He sighs again, it feels like he does this a lot. "Why can't your sister look at the book?"

Ella merely raises an eyebrow at him. "Because it's my book."

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Anger never gets him anywhere, he's learned that if he wants to accomplish anything, he needs to keep calm. Easier said than done.

"It's not your book. It came out of Uncle Aaron's library, so technically it's his book." Just then, the three of them hear the front door open downstairs. "That'll be your mom coming home from the market. Maybe we should ask her if she thinks you should share the book. What do you think?" He stares knowingly at his daughters' faces as they look quickly at each other, then back at him, shaking their heads.

"Here. Take it." Ella tosses the book onto Nattie's bed, and she squeals in delight.

"Bass?" Charlie's voice calling out to him makes it's way up the stairs.

He cracks the door open. "In the girls' room." They can hear her boots coming up the stairs and he looks over at them still sitting on their beds. He points at the broken vase on the floor and shakes his head, mouthing _'not a word'. _Both girls quickly agree as Charlie steps fully into the room.

"Hey, what's going on..." Her voice trials off as she notices the mess on the floor. "What happened to the vase?" She looks immediately at Ella, not because she's blaming her eldest, but because these things are usually her fault. But before she can start her interrogation, Bass interrupts.

"Actually, that was my fault." Charlie turns to look at him disapprovingly. "I was helping Nattie look for her book, so we moved the dresser, and the vase just fell off." It's a simple and logical explanation for the situation.

Charlie looks at the vase on the floor, then at the book in Nattie's hands. She shakes her head sadly. "Well you should have been more careful. Aaron gave us that right after Ella was born, it's been sitting next to her bed for eleven years." She gives her husband a stern glare. "Next time somebody looses something, don't ask Daddy to help you look for it." With one last glance around the room she heads back down the stairs, calling back to him, "I'm not cleaning that up Bass."

He smiles at his wife's retreating back, but is distracted by the sudden tugging on his pantleg. He looks down to find a tiny boy with thick blond curls, identical to his own, and big brown eyes, just like Miles'. He's shaking his little head at him. "You were bad Daddy, you made Mommy mad."

Scoffing at the four year old, he scoops him up and hugs him, kissing his head. "What else is new." That makes the girls giggle. "What are you two laughing about? I didn't make this mess, you two clean it up." He takes little Bruce with him out of the room while the girls whine and complain about having to clean up.

Down in the kitchen, he finds Charlie pulling salt and sugar out of bags, and putting them into cabinets. He watches her arms move and her hips sway. Even after all this time, he can't get enough of her. He sets little Brucie on the floor and goes to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck, just below her ear. She leans back into him as he pulls her earlobe between his teeth.

"You gonna tell me why you lied to me up there?" Bass freezes. Apparently, he forgot that he's a shity liar.

"I just didn't think it was worth getting into a big thing about." The truth. That always works best in these situations.

He presses his nose into her hair while she nods. "Were they fighting over the book?"

He huffs a laugh, Charlie's ability to know exactly what's going on never ceases to amaze him. "Yeah."

Ella chooses that moment to try and sneak into the kitchen to get the broom and dust pan from the corner. Charlie, without even turning her head, asks, "So what did we learn today Ella?"

Turning to look at her daughter, she sees the scathing look she throws at her father. "That Daddy's a bad liar."

Charlie snorts with laughter at the look of outrage on Bass' face. "Ok honey, what else?" She looks pointedly at Ella, who picks up the broom, hanging her head.

"That were supposed to share." She's practically growling, but when it comes to Ella, that's really the best your gonna get.

"Good, now go clean up your mess." Charlie turns her attention back to the groceries as Ella runs up the stairs. Bass resumes his prior assault on his wife's neck by biting softly just below her ear and then licking the sting away with his tongue.

"Bass, cut it out." She chuckling as she leans back farther into him.

"Doesn't seem like you want me to stop." His voice is a low whisper in her ear, sending heat coursing straight down to her core. She turns around in his arms and puts her hands flat on his chest.

"Sorry, but you lied to me. You've been a bad boy." She pushes him away but she's grinning mischievously up at him. He moves in, with the intention of grabbing her and throwing her up on the counter, but is interrupted by a tiny voice.

"Daddy's a bad boy!" He looks down by his feet to see Brucie glaring up at him with all of the anger a four year old can muster. Charlie erupts into a fit of laughter and goes back to her groceries, officially killing the moment.

He picks Brucie up and pokes him in the chest. "You and me are gonna have a serious conversation about the guy code." His big brown eyes are looking up at him with innocent curiosity. "Rule number one: You never, ever interrupt when Daddy when he's trying to get Mommy to-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence or I swear, Mommy won't be doing anything, anytime soon." Bass turns around to smile at his wife, the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, and he can't help but walk back to give her a peck on the cheek and whisper in her ear.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

A/N Thank you to all of you for reading, and especially those of you who take the time to review. I love domestic Bass, something about him just makes me smile. And yes, I named him Bruce after Batman. I couldn't resist the temptation. :-)


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